Health: Looking good?

Are your weighty worries a result of body dysmorphic disorder?

By Anonymous

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD is a mental illness whereby the sufferer constantly worries about the way they look. Consultant counselling psychologist Dr Michael Sinclair explains: ‘It’s about a very irrational and excessive preoccupation with your bodily appearance, particularly either a minor or imagined defect.’ [ See more: Frankie Sandford and other celebs' panic problems ]

Lily Allen has admitted she has a 'touch of dysmophia'

The disorder affects one to two per cent of the population, but is often misdiagnosed, setting back the road to recovery. ‘If people open up about it they fear being perceived as vain or self-indulgent, which is a real problem,’ says Dr Michael. ‘In truth, sufferers want to fit into society rather than stand out so it’s very much the opposite affect.’ There are many symptoms. A sufferer might constantly ask for reassurance about their looks then not believe the answer, they might also diet, over-exercise and groom to excess. ‘This results in significant impairment in how they function whether at school or work or social situations,’ reveals Dr Michael. ‘Many don’t like to leave the house and it becomes agoraphobia. It’s no wonder this goes hand in hand with severe depression and anxiety.’Lily Allen When asked what she sees when she looks in the mirror, Lily, 26, once said: ‘Someone who is more overweight than they actually are.’ In 2007, the star posted on her blog: ‘I used to pride myself on being strong minded and not being some stupid girl obsessed with the way I look. I felt like it didn’t matter if I was a bit chubby, I’m not a model, I’m a singer. I’m afraid I am not strong and have fallen victim to the evil machine. I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle. I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery and laser liposuction.’ Lily even admitted in 2010: ‘I’ve got a touch of dysmorphia. I was sitting in bed last night and I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I said: ‘God, I’m a funny looking thing.’ My boyfriend said: ‘You are but in a very sweet and beautiful way.’ Sarah Michelle Gellar As Buffy she was the ’90s pin-up every girl wanted to be and every boy wanted to be with, but Sarah, 35, has since revealed a struggle with BDD, saying: ‘I’m a female! I totally have body dysmorphic disorder. I think most women do. A make-up artist friend once said: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look in a mirror.” I’m surrounded by them all the time – you sit in hair and make-up – so I guess I just have this mechanism where I tune it out.’ She added: ‘I just have to remember I’m human, and I’m a mom.’ Some critics worried whether the actress exaggerated her insecurities. But her message is simple: ‘You have to use yourself as inspiration.’Alicia Douvall __BREAK6__ Former glamour model and kiss-and-tell girl Alicia Douvall was she was so full of self-loathing she spent £1 million on having more than 100 hundred operations to drastically alter her looks: ‘All I ever wanted to do was reinvent myself as Alicia Douvall because I hated myself so much. I thought I was the ugliest person in the world.’ Alicia started taking tanning pills aged ten and at 14 saved up her pocket money to buy a secondhand sunbed. She changed her name and underwent her first boob job at 17 in her quest to be a glamour girl – it was the start of a frightening addiction to surgery. __BREAK7__ ‘Each time an op didn’t make me happy enough, I’d try the next thing,’ she explains. ‘I got banned from having surgery in Britain, but went to the US and started having it there. Even then I didn’t think it was out of control. Like any addict, you just make excuses for what you’re doing. I had more than 100 operations – everything from boob jobs to waist tucks and having my ribs shaved. I was going under the knife twice a week. I knew I was going to die trying to change my looks and I actually hoped, each time that I went under anaesthetic, that I wouldn’t wake up.’ Alicia’s been to rehab three times in an attempt to cure her addiction and now says she’s swapped plastic surgery for a healthy organic lifestyle.Top tips Recognising a problem in yourself and talking about it is a huge step as many sufferers won’t open up due to fear of appearing vain. Once someone owns up to their problem, half the problem is overcome. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or CBT can help someone identify with themselves, others around them and the world in general. In therapy, obsessive compulsive behaviours, like applying make-up, will be slowly discouraged. Sufferers are taught how to maintain the problems and use alternative ways to manage the anxieties. Relaxation strategies and breathing techniques are useful. Deep breathing and guided visualisation will help reduce the fear as with a phobia. It’s to do with mindfulness which is about sitting with discomfort and living in the moment. CBT will deal with exposure work where you’re sent into social situations you’ve been avoiding without your unhelpful tool kit and with a more of a helpful tool kit. An example is very gradually reducing time spent looking in the mirror. There is medication which can help with managing the compulsive behaviour, but the mediation route alone isn’t advised. It isn’t for everyone, although it can help – it’s about the individual and no two sufferers are the same.